Brad Plumer’s article, “Eight Facts about Terrorism in the United States,” makes for interesting reading. It begins by briefly touching on the recent Boston bombings before going on to discuss terrorism in general, with relation to the United States. As the title suggests, the author lists eight facts about terrorism. The first, for example, is that terrorist attacks have actually decreased since the 1970s, with the exception of 9/11 (Plumer). Another interesting fact is that types of organised groups which carry out such attacks have become increasingly diverse. This is an important point as, particularly more recently, some people may assume that all terrorist attacks are by Al-Qa-Ida whereas, in fact, this group is ranked number five (Plumer). In the same way, many people may believe that the States suffers the most terrorist attacks in the world. However, one of Plumer’s facts states that America suffers far fewer than most other areas around the globe (Plumer).
It is not yet clear who is responsible for the Boston Bombings. Hopefully soon, the authorities will learn and bring the perpetrators to justice. The media consistently reports terrorist attacks on the United States and therefore it is easy to understand why many people think the threat of terrorism is higher in the States than in other countries. However, this is untrue. Another of Plumer’s facts states that a person is much less likely to be killed by a terrorist attack than almost anything else. While this may provide some comfort, it does not detract from the horror of what has just occurred in Boston and the people who were killed or injured there.
Works Cited
Plumer, B. “Eight Facts about Terrorism in the United States.” Washington Post. 16 April 2013. Web. 17 April 2013. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/16/eight-facts-about- terrorism-in-the-united-states/
